BBFC Research

BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification and before 1985 was know as the British Board of Film Censors. It is a non-governmental organisation which was founded by the film industry in 1912 to be responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom.

Below are images of the BBFC ratings and their details:

A film rated U stands for 'Universal' and is suitable for children aged four and over. There are films available for children under four and the BBFC state that the film is ‘particularly suitable for pre-school children’ which is called the 'BBFCinsight'. Only very mild bad language could be used such as 'damn' or 'hell'. They state that characters may kiss or cuddle in a U film but there will be no sexual innuendos or an overt focus to sexual behaviour. There may be mild violence and threat and 'bad' characters may carry weapons however not use them and the problems will be solved quickly and the emotional stress will be resolved with comedic music or interludes.No drug references will be used unless used in an educational documentary.

PG stands for 'Parental Guidance' and this means that some scenes may be unsuitable for very young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged 8 and over. Not all PG films have been made with young children in mind and it is the parents responsibility to decide whether the matters will upset sensitive children. The themes will not be inappropriate for children but may explore themes such as bullying or racism. Mild bad language such as 'shit' or 'son of a bitch' can be used and sexual references are not usually used however if it is decided that a child will not understand the reference then it can be passed at PG. Violence can be seen but the injury inflicted will not be seen in detail and minimal blood would be seen. Relating to behaviour children may copy, not threatening or anti-social behaviour will be glamorised. Illegal drug references may be heard but there will be no focus on this.

The 12A symbol means that a film is not suited to children under 12 years old and a child must be accompanied by an adult to see a 12A film in the cinema. Since the 12A rule cannot be enforced at home, DVD/Blu-ray discs are categorised as just 12. BBFCinsight is provided for all films to help parents decide if a film is suitable for their child or not. Discriminatory language may be heard but any aggressive discriminatory language will not be passed for a 12 film. Sex may be briefly portrayed in 12 films but verbal sex references will not go beyond what is suitable for young teenager. No nudity is used apart from if it is brief and discreet. Violence may be used but there will be no emphasis on injuries and minimal blood used. weapons easily accessible to younger children will not be glamorised and any assaults or rape scenes/references may be implied briefly and discreetly.Any moderate physical or psychological horror films can be passed at an age 12 rating. Any dangerous, anti-social behaviour or drug use will not be glamorised and scenes will not dwell on them or provide detail.

!5 films cannot be seen by children younger than 15. No theme is prohibited provided it is suitable for a 15 year old. Strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language and drug use are all allowed in a 15 rated film. No gory or sadistic violence is likely to be used however there is no upper limit on the use of bad language. The films do not dwell on suicide or drug use scenes so actions cannot be copied while sexual scenes can be long in this category however will not be shown in great detail.

Films rated 18 are for adults and no one under 18 is permitted to buy or watch films rated 18. No 18 rated works are available for children. Issues in 18 rated films include very strong violence, frequent strong language,strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex (in some circumstances) and strong discriminatory language and behaviour. There is no upper limit on bad language used, strong and detailed portrayals of sex can be used, very strong, crude and explicit references are permitted at 18. 

Age rating for our psychological thriller 'Alter-Ego'?
The correct age rating for our thriller film would be a rating of 12A. This is because violence may be portrayed in the film and blood will be shown from the out set of the film (in our opening titles). However injuries will not be shown in detail. Any dangerous or self harming behaviour may be hinted upon but not shown explicitly on screen. The film would not be a PG as the general story line is for an older age viewing however the film would not be a 15 because there is only minimal blood or injuries shown and frequent bad language will not be heard. The only elements our film will include are mild bad language, minimal viewing of blood and injury and a mature story line not suitable for young children.

Sound used in our Thriller Opening Titles

Our aim was to use music which reflects our genre and the theme of our psychological thriller opening titles which is the dark and light aspects of a personality and the way modern young minds can be corrupted by the media. We looked at different opening titles to inspire our own use of sound, for example 'Se7en' and 'Dexter'. The use of sound in 'Se7en' was to create tension and suspense while creating different enigmas for the audience. In 'Dexter' the sound has a lazy beat which supports the idea of an every day morning routine like the titles of 'Dexter'. They also included extra sounds effects, such as the sound of his razor wiping over his skin. 

The shots in our thriller opening will be silenced so that the diegetic sound is not heard. Any sounds heard will be edited into the opening such as a thud from upstairs and a creaking door. Since there will be no sound but the soundtrack and these noises, this will make those sounds emphasized to the audiences. The soundtrack will begin when our company ident appears on screen which is inspired by 'Se7en' and is conventional in the thriller genre. The non-diegetic soundtrack usually plays quietly as background sound and then slowly builds into a crescendo which builds tension while the titles play and also gives the audience a clue to who the antagonist is. 

The soundtrack we have decided to use in our thriller is a piece of music on YouTube called 'Creepy Music Box' which requires no inquiry into copyright as it is stated below the video that use of the music is allowed. The music has also been edited using 'Garage Band' to suit our thriller titles. The changes made were to make the beginning of the music quieter while making the end more dark and dramatic to build to a climax. This suited our titles much better than the original music. The sound suits the thriller genre as a piano is used which is high pitched and while creating tension, it also (as the title of the music states) sounds like a little girls music box which supports our opening titles as they are about a teenage girl who's mind becomes corrupted by the media and begins to feel broken and lost like a little girl again.

Video of the soundtrack before 'Garage Band' edit:

Alter-Ego Thriller Opening Titles